ABSTRACT
This chapter examines more closely the role that language ideologies play in mediating L2 learning. At the macro level of social activity are large-scale, society-wide ideologies about languages. All language teachers hold beliefs about language in general and about specific languages in particular. The standard language ideology is the belief that one variety of a language is superior to other coexisting ones. A component of the standard language ideology is the belief in uniformity of use across speakers of the standard variety. The standard language ideology is a feature of national political discourse; in many nations, their standard languages are considered to be the only appropriate medium for use in education, the workplace, government, and the media. Language ideologies influence language policy and planning on all levels of social activity. Language planning refers to measures taken "to influence the behaviors of others with respect to the acquisition, structure, or functional allocation of their language codes".
